Second Opinion: Do you have a poison emergency plan?

Tuesday

Apr 22, 2014 at 9:13 AMApr 22, 2014 at 5:17 PM

You suddenly look up and gaze at your 3-year-old youngster who, by using his inherent childhood radar, located the sleeping pills you thought were securely and safely tucked away. But,†there he is, four pills tightly held in his small hand and you are uncertain how many others, if any, he ingested.This is a situation in which a game plan should have already been worked out because children ingesting potentially harmful products is not an uncommon situation. But, do you have such a plan in place and is it the most effective plan? You could call the childís pediatrician, but more than likely the recommendation will be to go to the local hospital emergency room or call the Poison Control Center.Going to the emergency room may, or may not, be a satisfying or necessary experience. The game plan that you should have had for such a situation was to have placed the telephone number of the Poison Control Center in a very prominent location in your home. Then, after gathering together as many details as possible, such as the name of the medication, the dosage and an estimate as to how many pills were taken, call the Poison Control Centerís at 800-222-1222.By doing this, you will be talking to an expert who will provide you with specific advice such as how serious the ingestion may be and if it is necessary to rush the child to the hospital. And, what you can do at home to help manage the problem.No matter where you are in the United States, you can call 800-222-1222 and you will be connected to the closest Poison Control Center.There has been an increase in the use of the Internet to find solutions to various medical problems including what to do when Junior swallows something that has the potential of being a medical emergency. But, how reliable is such information? A recent study was done to answer this question, and the results were disturbing.It was determined that a third of the websites that provide such information never even mentioned calling the Poison Control Center. And, of those†that did, gave the wrong phone number. The study also showed that none of the websites provided any meaningful information concerning how to manage the ingestion.So, make certain that the number, 800-222-1222, is prominently displayed in your home. You are not only a call away from receiving expert advice, but itís also free.What a deal - and a deal that may be lifesaving.Dr. Murray Feingold is the physician in chief of The Feingold Center for Children, medical editor of WBZ-TV and WBZ radio, and president of the Genesis Fund. The Genesis Fund is a nonprofit organization that funds the care of children born with birth defects, mental retardation and genetic diseases.